Proceeds from Valentine’s party in Steamboat to benefit Haiti

If you go

What: “To Haiti With Love,” a benefit for victims of the earthquake in Haiti

When: 8 p.m. Saturday

Where: Amante Coffee, 685 Marketplace Plaza

Cost: $5 donation at the door; proceeds go to Wish for Haiti

Call: 871-8999

Online: Proceeds from “To Haiti With Love” go to Wish for Haiti, an organization with local ties benefiting an orphanage in Haiti. Learn more about the organization at http://www.wishforhaiti.org.

Steamboat Springs — For the past couple of years, Steamboat Springs residents Anthony Campbell and Petrona Pusey have thrown Valentine's Day dance parties at Amante Coffee.

They decided to step up their game for a party and benefit Saturday. New local rock band Nothing to Fear, acoustic reggae act Djate and hip-hop/reggae musician DJ Nakhia are on the lineup for "To Haiti With Love," a fundraiser for earthquake relief efforts in Haiti.

"We thought about it right after the earthquake happened — we were brainstorming and thinking what could we do," Pusey said. She and Campbell thought about trying to collect donation items but wanted to make sure their donations got to people who needed them quickly. So they decided to do what they do: throw a fun party for a cause.

That party is at 8 p.m. Satur­day at Amante. Tickets for "To Haiti With Love" are $5 at the door. Event organizers hope to raise money with auction items and tickets for giveaways. Aman­te Coffee owner Brent Langevin said he plans to donate 20 percent of his sales from the night.

All proceeds from the party will go to Wish for Haiti, a charitable organization with local ties.

Steamboat resident Tracy Metzler started Wish for Haiti about two years ago with her sisters, Leslie Christensen and Gina McCarty Woodson, and their families. Wish for Haiti supports House of the Children of the Lack, an orphanage in Port-au-Prince. Each of Wish for Haiti's three founding families has adopted a daughter from the orphanage, Metzler said.

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The original goal of the organization's charitable efforts was to improve conditions at the orphanage and provide educational opportunities. Since a devastating earthquake hit near Port-au-Prince on Jan. 12, Wish for Haiti's efforts have been redirected, Metzler said.

"We had gotten them moved into a nice home that had running water and had a generator for electricity and indoor plumbing, but the earthquake did demolish their home," Metzler said. The orphanage's population has grown to about 30 children; for now those children are in a home with a generator and beds about eight hours outside Port-au-Prince, Metzler said.

Wish for Haiti is planning a community giving day on Feb. 26. The group plans to ask local restaurants and merchants to donate a portion of their proceeds; individual donations are also part of the campaign. Go to http://www.wishforhaiti.org for more information.

At the event, Campbell and Pusey hope to raise money to help residents of the Caribbean. Both organizers are from Ja­­maica. Campbell and Pusey said they felt some connection to the events in Haiti, being from the same area of the world.

If you go

What: “To Haiti With Love,” a benefit for victims of the earthquake in Haiti

When: 8 p.m. Saturday

Where: Amante Coffee, 685 Marketplace Plaza

Cost: $5 donation at the door; proceeds go to Wish for Haiti

Call: 871-8999

Online: Proceeds from “To Haiti With Love” go to Wish for Haiti, an organization with local ties benefiting an orphanage in Haiti. Learn more about the organization at http://www.wishforhaiti.org.